CRASH Services were one of the first employers in Northern Ireland to commit to and implement a four-day week for all employees, with no reduction in pay.
Since 2020 all CRASH staff had their work hours reduced by 20%, from 35 hours to 28 hours with NO impact on their salary. The four-day working week has improved CRASH’s employee wellbeing with productivity and customer care remaining of a high standard.
Our team have benefited from the extra day off that the #4DayWeek provides them. See below how some of our team spend their time.
Michelle Murphy, Operations Director at CRASH, commented
“In April 2020, we took the innovative step to reduce our working hours by 20%, from 35 to 28 hours per week, without affecting salaries. Recognising the increasing challenges of achieving a healthy work-life balance, we believed this change would significantly benefit our employees and in turn our customers. After five years of working a four-day work week, we are delighted with its impact of staff attraction and retention in such a competitive job market. This approach has also greatly enhanced our employee well-being while ensuring our customer care remains exceptional, with 99% of our customers recommending CRASH.”
Pictured: Michelle Murphy, Operations Director and Paula Mahoney, Marketing Director.
CRASH Services proudly celebrates five years since launching the four-day working week for all employees, with no reduction in pay or benefits. As one of the first employers in Northern Ireland to implement this initiative, CRASH has demonstrated its commitment to employee well-being while maintaining high levels of productivity and customer care.
Paula Mahoney, Marketing Director at CRASH, commented, “For nearly 30 years, we have been dedicated and committed to acting with care for those involved in road traffic incidents, ensuring our customers receive the best possible support during challenging times. The introduction of the four-day working week has fostered a healthier work-life balance, empowering our employees to excel in high-pressure situations while continuing to deliver exceptional customer care. Five years on, we remain dedicated to a workplace culture that prioritises both employee well-being and outstanding customer care.”
Claims Team Leader, Mairead Morgan who has been with the company since 2016 commented “The four-day work week allows for more time to enjoy hobbies and spend with family. Surprisingly, my productivity has increased because the condensed schedule keeps me focused and efficient. Knowing the work still needs to be completed encourages a more intentional approach to each day.”
Rosanne Boyle, Quality and Training Coordinator; an employee of CRASH Services for 10 years, shares with us how she spends her day off, “On my extra day off, I like to go to the gym, go for a walk and clean my house. This extra day off each week not only helps me stay organised but also gives me the space to prioritise self-care, leading to a better work-life balance.”
Jonathan McKeown, CEO at CRASH, commented
“We have over 100 employees who our customers rely on in a time of crisis. We want to ensure they have the right work-life balance to be able to perform at their best in stressful situations. When we launched the project in summer 2018, there was real excitement within the team.
Pictured: Michelle Murphy, Head of Operations & HR and Jonathan McKeown, CEO.
We have been in operation for over 25 years and we have always wanted to offer the best working environment and employee benefits package, so our staff were reassured this was not about cost-cutting.
From our own research, we knew that having more free time to spend with family and friends is something employees want more of and benefit from in many ways.
Staff wellbeing has also never been as important than this year, with the new challenge that COVID-19 has brought. Thankfully the ground work we put into our working practices since 2018 ensured we were able to cope with the challenges the restrictions brought.”
Michelle Murphy Head of Operations & HR at CRASH Services said, “Flexibility, homeworking and utilising technology were already a mainstay of our working practices so we were able to adapt quickly to the challenging environment this year.
‘When we first launched this project in 2018 we knew there was a lot of preparation to do before we could implement the new working patterns We set our teams the task of reviewing every working practice, encouraging every person to look at their individual role and ask what was inefficient. This has been an insightful process and they have eliminated some parts, streamlined other processes and used technology to make time savings.
“These suggestions were then documented before being reviewed by the management team with the vast majority of the recommendations being implemented.
“This project was not necessarily about reducing everyone to a four-day week. It might suit others to work their hours over five shorter days and if that’s what a staff member wants, we will try to accommodate them.’ Michelle concluded.
CEO Jonathan is delighted that the company can make this reduced working life a reality for the team, “We have always had very low levels of staff turnover but we never want to be complacent. We feel that with increased automation, reduced hours will be considered by more employers, particularly in the current climate where it is imperative for many businesses to find out expedient ways to carry out work. We wanted to take a leading role and are happy to share our experiences with others.”
© 2025 CRASH Services Accident Management Company.
